Schools close with first accumulating snowfall of season

Abby Acosta, left, 9, and her eight-year-old sister Jayla Acosta, both of New London, slide down a hill in the first snowfall of the season at the Thames River Apartments in New London Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.Tim Martin/The DayBuy Photo

The first accumulating snowfall of the season closed most schools in the region Tuesday and wreaked havoc on the roadways.

By 4 p.m., Route 85 in Montville was slick but navigable and mostly clear of snow. Relatively few people had decided to brave the roads, however, and those who did drove cautiously.

The day's on-and-off snowfall blanketed the trees, houses and ponds along the road. Monty the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the mascot of The Dinosaur Place in Chesterfield, looked less terrifying than usual with a dusting of snow on his back and Santa hat, and Burnett's Country Gardens in Salem looked particularly wintery with snow covering the Christmas-light-wrapped tractor out front.

The National Weather Service recorded 1 inch of snowfall in Norwich and 2 inches in Colchester as of Tuesday afternoon.

State and local police reported several accidents and spinouts in the area. A tractor-trailer accident on Interstate 95 North between Exits 89 and 90 briefly shut down the left lane.

Tuesday morning, state police reported that black ice had caused at least half a dozen accidents on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge.

The snowstorm closed all the schools in the region with the exception of New London, which dismissed students early.

New London, Ledyard and Norwich all instituted parking bans.

Mike Doll, a meteorologist for AccuWeather.com, said the temperatures early Wednesday are expected to be around 22 degrees, causing slick conditions for the morning commute.

Solana Parra-Polimeni, 12 chases her younger brother Santino, 10, through the snow along on Chapel Drive in New London Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, as area schools are canceled or being dismissed early due to a moderate snow storm that will be moving through the area today.Tim Cook/The DayBuy Photo

Connecticut College students make their way between buildings in the snow Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, before Tuesday's storm closed the college for the day.Tim Cook/The DayBuy Photo